


Remembrance

by dragonprinsessa



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (mentioned only briefly), Adrinette, Aged-Up Character(s), Amnesia, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Identity Reveal, Memory Loss, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Past Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Past Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Post-Hawk Moth Defeat, Rating May Change, Reunions, but actually just adrinette lol, canon compliant up to miracle battle, especially in france, eventually, i want it to be mostly fluffy but there will be some angst, marinette doesn't remember being ladybug, that's an important plot point, the author knows nothing about university, they're not superheroes anymore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2020-10-24 06:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20701232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonprinsessa/pseuds/dragonprinsessa
Summary: Hawkmoth was his dad, Ladybug never showed up for their planned reveal and his friend Marinette was in a terrible accident. He leaves.Then he comes back. After 4 years of healing he is ready to finally move on and start living again.Marinette was in an accident and was told she may experience memory loss. There seems to be pieces missing but at least all the important stuff is still there, right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!!  
This is a rewrite of an old oneshot I wrote back in 2016. I always felt that it had the potential to be a really good chapter fic, and I did try to write it as that at first but I have never been good at finished longer projects and I wanted it out there.  
So now I'm giving it another shot even though you should be warned that I might never finish it. 
> 
> But here's to hoping!  
Enjoy!

”We did it”

Chat Noir barely registered Ladybug’s words. He just kept staring at the policeman currently placing his father in the back of a car. His father was Hawkmoth. He was shocked, he couldn’t believe it. And yet… it made perfect sense.

He had managed to keep his own identity secret from his father during the fight. He didn’t want his father to know, at least not now. Maybe he would talk to him after he had processed everything. Or write him a letter. He had so many emotions at the moment and he wanted his father to know exactly what he had done to his son. But right now he couldn’t make sense of anything.

“It’s over”

This time he heard what she said perfectly clear. _It’s over_. He already knew what would happen now. Master Fu had explained. They would give back their miraculous and kwamis. Master Fu would place them back in their box and that would be it. Well not really, he had told them that they were always welcome to visit and chat with him and their kwamis. But… it wouldn’t be the same. For three years now he had had a constant companion. Not one second had been spent alone. Plagg had always been there. And now he wouldn’t be. Adrien would be alone again, no more Plagg, no more Chat Noir and no more-

“I want to know who you are”

Chat Noir was startled out of his thoughts and quickly turned around to look at Ladybug. She was looking at him, her eyes full of determination.

“I-I… what?” was his answer.

Because he was truly speechless. He had thought this day would never come. He had thought that when it was all over it would be just that, over. And now here was Ladybug, saying the words he had longed for her to say for years.

“Well, not right now” she quickly said. “I don’t think I can handle much more today. But soon. I’m seeing Master Fu tomorrow to hand back my miraculous, when are you going there?”

“Um, in two days” he choked out. Was this really happening???

“Then we’ll meet up in three days. The park outside Collège Françoise-Dupont, by our statue?”

He just nodded.

“Great!” her face lit up with a gorgeous smile. “I’ll be there at 1pm”

“Okay” Chat just said, dumbfoundedly.

Ladybug smiled softly at him and reached out her hand to lightly squeeze his arm.

“I have to go now, but I’ll see you then” she said before letting go of his arm and whipping out her yoyo.

Within seconds she was swinging away from him but not before yelling “WEAR BLACK AND GREEN” to him.

Chat Noir just kept staring after her long after she had disappeared. He could feel his smile growing bigger and bigger, the matter about his father almost forgotten. In only three days he would know who Ladybug was. And while they may not be able to run along the rooftops together, they could do other things. They could watch movies, have dinners and walks together. He could get her phone number and text her when he was feeling lonely and he could invite her over to just hang out. He could introduce her to his friends. He was sure she would fit right in with them.

He was over the moon.

* * *

And then just a few hours later, the world fell apart.

He was sound asleep when his phone started going off, effectively waking him up.

“Nino, what’s going on? It’s the middle of the night” he groaned as he rubbed his face, wishing he could just keep sleeping.

“Marinette’s been in a car accident”

And Adrien was suddenly wide awake.

“What?” was all he could say.

“It happened two hours ago, I just found out. I’m on my way to the hospital right now. Alya said she’s just out of emergency surgery”

Surgery. Marinette had been in surgery. That meant she was badly hurt. In record time he was getting dressed.

“I’m coming too. Which hospital?”

* * *

Adrien arrived at the hospital and stayed the entire night, along with Alya, Nino and Marinette’s parents. Even after they found out that she was comatose and wouldn’t wake up for at least a week he stayed. He stayed until Marinette’s mother literally forced him and Alya to leave and have some real food and rest. He kept texting Alya and Nino to see if they had any news about her and every time there was nothing. Plagg stayed close, being surprisingly supportive. But when the time came, they still had go to Master Fu. Adrien handed over his miraculous with a promise to Plagg that he would visit soon to give an update on Marinette.

When the next day came, the day he was supposed to meet Ladybug, he felt guilty. He was supposed to be happy, he was finally meeting the love of his life, really meeting her. But all he could think about was Marinette. Still, went to the spot they had decided on and waited for her.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

By the time darkness began to fall he accepted that she wouldn’t show up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Café conversations with Marinette, Alya and Nino.

Marinette sighed loudly as she sat down in the booth next to Alya. Her best friend just laughed and patted her head.

“There, there” she said with an amused tone.

“I hate exaaaaams” Marinette groaned.

“Dude, same”

Nino slid into the seat across from them with a tray full of their favorite treats and coffee. Marinette immediately grabbed the cup of vanilla latte and took a huge sip. She hoped it would wake her up enough for her last exam. She really needed to do well and that wouldn’t happen if she fell asleep in the middle of it.

“At least it’s almost over” Alya said as she took a bite of a croissant. “I can’t wait to just sleep all day tomorrow”

“Don’t talk with food in your mouth, babe”

Alya glared at Nino and instead of listening started chewing loudly with an open mouth. Marinette slapped a napkin on her mouth.

“You’re gross” she said.

Alya shrugged and turned to her laptop to continue with what she was writing. Nino and Marinette settled into a discussion about how exam season was the absolute worst, with Alya commenting about how whiny they were every now and then.

Marinette could very honestly say that she was happy and contempt with her life as it currently was. After her accident four years ago she had felt like things could never be normal for her again. Everyone had been so careful around her, treating her like she was made of porcelain. She would have someone with her at all hours of the day, and they wouldn’t even allow her to go get a glass of water by herself. She had felt like she would never move forward from that position. But, after a few months she was allowed to go back to school and slowly things started to get better.

She supposed that she was very lucky that her injuries hadn’t been more severe. When she woke up she had been told that some of her memory might be gone. She had realized that there were times she tried to remembering something, when tried to make sense of a day and had most of it but bits and pieces were gone. And she didn’t remember anything from the day of the accident. That, however, she was happy about. She wouldn’t want to remember what happened, she imagined that would be very painful.

“Oh, hold on. Adrien’s calling”

Nino got up and walked outside the little café as he answered the phone. Marinette watched, a small smile on her lips at the mention of Adrien.

“That’s unfair, Adrien never calls _me_” Alya said with a pout.

“He’s really busy, and Nino is his best friend” Marinette said with a shrug. “How’s the article going?”

Alya sighed. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m just writing the same thing over and over again. I mean, they haven’t been seen in four years so there’s not really anything left to write about”

“Still no luck with finding out their real identities then?” Marinette asked between sips of coffee.

“No, nothing” Alya turned towards Marinette, pulling up her legs and placing them between them in the process. “If I could just find them, and do a final interview, just something to give everything a nice wrapped up ending, that would be perfect. But it’s almost like they never existed, there are no tracks of them or who they are anywhere. It’s so frustrating!”

Marinette nodded in agreement. They had this conversation often and she had helped with the search for the heroes a lot but they never found anything. It was strange how they had just disappeared like that.

“Maybe they’re just not ready to come out and talk yet” she tried to reason. “No one really knows what happened at the final battle, it could have been very traumatic for them. I’m sure that when they’re ready to talk they’ll go to you first, you always got the most exclusive interviews”

Alya finally smiled at that, before her expression changed to shocked when Nino rushed back to his seat with a huge grin.

“Adrien’s coming home!”

Marinette felt her heart skip. She hadn’t seen Adrien in almost a year.

“Really? How long is he staying?” Alya asked, also grinning.

“No, he’s _coming home_” Nino emphasized. “He applied to finish his degree here in Paris”

“No way!”

“Yes!”

Now Marinette’s heart didn’t just skip, it was beating 100 times faster. If Adrien was coming back, and if he was going to _stay_… well then she would be able to see him. A lot. He would be right back in here daily life.

She was a little embarrassed to say that even so many years later she was not totally over him. It wasn’t like it had held her back at all, she had still gone on dates and had been in a few relationships. But Adrien would always be her first love, that made him special. And if he would be back, maybe she finally had a shot. Now that she was older and more mature, surer of herself. And hopefully he would be over that girl.

No one knew who she was, not even Nino. They just knew that there was a girl he had been madly in love with but it hadn’t worked out. That and the fact that his father turned out be Hawkmoth made Adrien distant. He had pulled away from others. He still hung out with them and talked to them of course, but didn’t really let anyone in. When it was time for university he had left to study in England. The last time Marinette had seen him he seemed a lot better and she hoped the fact that he was returning meant that he had entered a new state in his life and let himself be happy again.

“When is he coming?” she asked Nino.

“Next week”

“I hope he already found a place to live because finding a flat in week would be hell” Alya said.

“I already told him that he can move into my extra room. It’s small, but I don’t think he needs much anyway” Nino replied.

“Good, at least he won’t be sleeping on park benches. Wait! We have to have a welcome home party for him! You can play host, right Nino?” Alya pointed a finger at her boyfriend.

“Your idea, your place” Nino said.

“Fine, we’ll have it at our place. You okay with that, Mari?”

“Of course! Our place is better for parties anyway” Marinette giggled.

Alya grinned and opened a new document on her laptop. Within seconds she was writing down all the party essentials and guests that needed to be there. Which would be their entire class from college, everyone from Adrien’s old fencing team and several people that Marinette was sure he had never even met but Alya thought would be fun to have there.

Marinette sighed. Their apartment would be packed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't posted any fics in so long and now I've realized that I really missed it!  
This means that there will probably be frequent updates at least until chapter 6, since that's what I already have written. After that we'll see. 
> 
> Anywayyyy I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Adrien yawned as he put down his luggage on the small bed in Nino’s spare room. What he wouldn’t give to just lay down and sleep right now. But Nino had said that Marinette and Alya wanted to see him so they were heading over there right after he had taken a shower. As tired as he was, he couldn’t wait to see the two of them. He didn’t get to talk to them as much as he did with Nino and he really missed them.

So, after a quick shower and change of clothes they were off to the girls apartment. Adrien hadn’t been there before, they had moved in after he had visited last time, and he was excited to see where they lived. He hoped that now after he had moved back to Paris he would spend a lot of time there. Nino apparently visited quite often, so he’d just tag along. Nino had also told him that Marinette was excited to not be the third wheel when they hung out anymore.

When they arrived Nino didn’t even knock before opening the door and walking straight in, Adrien following closely.

As soon as Adrien stepped into the apartment he was pretty much attacked with a hug that came with a shriek “Adrikins!”. Surprised and confused he hugged Chloé back and started to look around the apartment. There were a lot more people than just Alya and Marinette. He could see so many faces from his childhood there. Nathaniel, Mylene, Kagami, Max and so many more. He felt his eyes watering.

“Aw don’t go crying on us now Agreste” Alya said as she stepped forward.

Chloé let go of him and just a second later Alya hugged him instead.

“About time you came home” she said as she pulled back again.

Adrien couldn’t say anything. But he smiled as a few tears rolled down his cheeks. He had almost forgotten how amazing his friends were.

“I agree. This time you better stay” came a teasing voice.

He looked behind Alya to see Marinette standing there.

“I promise” he managed to squeeze out as she came to hug him. “Thank you” he said and hugged her tightly.

When she let go of him the next person came up, and then the next and the next. He received so many hugs and heartwarming words that it was a miracle he could stop crying. He couldn’t believe that all those people were there for him. Because they had _missed _him. It felt good to have them all around him again. Even though he had been in Englad for a few years he hadn’t really made any close friends there. There had been people he had talked to regularly and a few that he often studied with, but nothing could beat the friends he had in Paris. They were better than what he deserved. And yet they still did all this for him.

Alya had ordered too many pizzas for them all to consume (although they did their best) and Marinette had brought tons of pastries and cookies from her parents bakery. Nino had made a playlist for him that was blasted from the speakers he had brought himself. Chloé- well, Chloé brought herself to ‘_this old, soggy place_’ just for him and he couldn’t be more thankful.

Still, after an hour or two his exhaustion caught up with him and he slipped away. He was happy to find a door that led to the roof where he sat down with a sigh of relief. Even though he wasn’t Chat Noir anymore he still felt the most free when he was seated on top of a rooftop. The only thing missing was… something he tried not to think about. Instead he watched the sun set over the Paris skyline. He had missed this.

“This seat taken?”

He looked up, a little startled that someone else was there, but smiled when he saw Marinette. She sat down next to him and for a few moments they sat in silence together.

“A bit too much down there?” she eventually asked, sympathy clear in her voice.

“A bit” Adrien replied and she giggled.

“I told Alya having the party right after you arrived wasn’t the best idea, but you know how stubborn she is”

Adrien chuckled and nodded. He knew all too well.

“So…” Marinette said.

Adrien looked at her, noticing how her eyes seemed to glow in the light of the setting sun.

“So?” he repeated with a raised eyebrow.

“Do you often climb the rooftops of Paris or is it more of a one time thing?” she asked, the teasing tone very clear.

Adrien laughed.

“I used to do it more than you would imagine”

“Really?”

“Yup”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it sometime” she said with a giggle.

“Absolutely” he agreed. “Let’s head back down there before they send someone to search for us”

He stood up and reached out a hand to help her that she gladly took. They made their way back down to the party where they were separated immediately by people wanting to talk to him. While he was happy to catch up with all his old friends, he would rather sit with Marinette where she was now, munching on cookies. But that would come, he knew that Marinette would be one of the people he would be spending time with the most now that he was back. And he really couldn’t wait. Ever since she started having an easier time talking around him when they were teenagers he had had some of his favourite conversations with her. There had even been a time before he went to England that he had been thinking about asking her out. But at that time Ladybug had still been fresh in his mind and he couldn’t bring himself to actually ask her.

Now though. Now could be their time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaand the adrinette has started! 
> 
> kudos & comments are greatly appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good friend times and smelly cheese

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright so this chapter was orignally two, but since they were pretty short and I want to reach the good plot stuff sooner I decided to combine them. this is also very much a filler chapter but sometimes those are needed. Hope you like it!

“Yes, Madame” Marinette said into her phone as she doodled on the notepad on the table in front of her.

“You do understand what this could do for your career?”

“Madame Bourgeois, I realize that this is a huge opportunity for me and I will do everything I can to meet your demands”

“Good. I’ll see your result soon”

“Of course. Have a nice day Madame, and please tell Chloé I said hello”

Audrey Bourgeois hummed before she hung up the phone and Marinette let out the breath she had been holding.

“So, what’d she say?” Alya asked eagerly from her spot on the couch.

“That if I design a _‘showstopping yet casual’ _dress she’ll feature me in her magazine” Marinette said, still not quite believing it.

Alya squealed and ran up to hug her. Marinette, finally relaxing a little, started to laugh and hugged her best friend back.

“Girl, this is so amazing! I can’t believe you’ll be a world-famous designer soon”

“That’s because I’m not, but this really is a step in the right direction” Marinette argued.

“Hell yeah it is!”

And it really was. After Marinette had turned down the offer Audrey Bourgeois had made her back when she was in her teens she thought she would never have a chance like that again. She couldn’t really remember why she turned it down, she knew there had been a big reason, but that was one of the things the accident had erased from her memory. It didn’t matter now anyhow, because she had a new chance, and this time she wouldn’t have to leave home to do it.

She really believed it was all thanks to Chloé that she had gotten this opportunity. Somehow – Marinette still didn’t quite understand it – she and Chloé had become friends. It was a friendship that was full of compliments disguised as insults and competitive support. It was strange, but Marinette was happy to have it. She had noticed Chloé changing and slowly becoming a better person after becoming Queen Bee, but it had taken a lot more maturing from both of them before they were able to enter the friendship they had now. Luckily, they were both stubborn enough to mature, and they made quite the team together.

“The boys are coming over tonight, by the way” Alya said as she went back to the couch and her laptop.

“Oh, good thing I bought enough to make a big dinner then” Marinette said.

“Yup. They want to challenge us at Ultimate Mecha Strike V”

“HA! They don’t stand a chance” Marinette said and sat down beside Alya on the couch.

“Exactly my thought” Alya smirked and the two friends fistbumped each other.

* * *

A few hours later, after stuffing themselves full of Marinette’s cooking, all four friends were fighting to death on a video game. There was blood, there were tears, and at the end there was a winning team.

Alya and Marinette high fived after winning the best out of five they had been challenged to. While true that Alya wasn’t much for video games, she had Marinette on her team and with Marinette you never lose.

They all settled into comfortable positions in the couch and armchairs and Marinette poured up wine to them all. They talked and laughed, catching up for a lot of lost time. They hadn’t all been together like this in a long time and suddenly it was like they were back in collége. Except with alcohol. They reminisced about old times talked about hopes for the future. Adrien told stories from his time in England and the other three told stories from home. Nino spilled wine on his white t-shirt and got laughed at for the rest of the night for it. At some point Alya and Nino started making out and Marinette and Adrien made disgusted faces to each other. Alya fished out some old school photos and they all laughed and cooed at how small and cute they were. Marinette fell asleep on Adrien’s shoulder and he couldn’t stop looking at her and smiling.

It was nice. It was perfect.

* * *

“You need to ask her out, dude” Nino said as he and Adrien were walking home.

“Huh?” Adrien said, despite knowing exactly what his friend meant.

“Marinette. You need to ask her out”

Adrien smiled. “I’m going to. I think. I am. At some point”

Nino chuckled and shook his head slowly.

“Seriously, man. You should have asked her out years ago. Don’t wait any longer”

At this Adrien’s smile morphed into a frown. Nino was right. He should have asked her out sooner, she was amazing and he had liked her for a long time. But he had been so hung up on Ladybug, even after she was out of his life completely.

Nino put a hand on his shoulder.

“I know you were going through a lot back then but don’t think about that. Right now you like her and she likes you, just go for it”

Adrien nodded. He would go for it. He definitely would. No way would he miss the chance to be with an amazing woman like Marinette. And if she really did like him like Nino said, then he had nothing to lose.

Ladybug had been his first love, but he realized now that they were never meant to be, no matter how many times he had said it when they were young. And that was just the thing. He was young. He didn’t know anything about love other than what he had learned from movies and TV. And that wasn’t real life love. He had tried to create a movie romance with Ladybug, but that was never going to work. She had a real love, she’d told him that many times and he had refused to listen. Maybe that was why she never came to meet him, maybe she was afraid he would ruin that real love she had. Maybe he would have…

But he couldn’t keep thinking about that. About Ladybug. She was part of his past. Marinette however, could hopefully be a part of his future.

* * *

Adrien took a long, deep breath as he stepped outside. He had missed the Parisian air. To most people it probably seemed like any big city, but to him it was special. There was something about the scent, and how it felt going into his lungs. It just felt good and like home.

He started walking towards the subway. Nino had asked where he was going and he had just said that he was going to see an old friend. Because how else would you explain visiting an almost 200 year old man and the ancient being who used to turn him into a cat themed superhero?

When he arrived at the subway he was very happy to find a mostly empty cart where he could position himself as far away from others as possible. He didn’t want to be close to anyone in case they could smell the stinky camembert from his bag. It had been a long time since he last had to worry about that. He remembered being a teenager and getting questions from some of his less sensitive classmates why he always smelled. He also remembered being very embarrassed and sometimes irritated that the only thing Plagg ate was that stinky cheese.

Before long Adrien stood outside the door to Master Fu’s apartment. He knocked.

“Come in”

Slowly he opened the door and peered inside. He saw Master Fu, whom he apparently had disturbed mid-meditation, and they both smiled at each other.

“Chat Noir, welcome” Fu said and motioned for him to go inside.

“You can just call me Adrien, I’m not Chat Noir anymore” Adrien pointed out as he sat down in front of the old man.

“You will always be Chat Noir in one way or another” he argued. “I suspect from the smell that you came to see not only me, but Plagg too”

Adrien nodded and Master Fu stood up to bring out the Miraculous Box. As soon as it was out he handed Adrien the Black Cat Miraculous and he slipped it onto his finger, welcoming the familiar feeling.

Out of nowhere, Plagg appeared.

“Kid!” he exclaimed and flew forward to hug Adrien’s face. It was apparent that he had missed his wielder a whole lot, at least until he said the next thing. “Did you bring the goods?”

Adrien laughed and brought out two camembert wheels from his bag. Plagg’s eyes shined with excitement as he happily started munching away.

“Finally! Fu never buys the _good _camembert” he said with a glare towards Master Fu.

“That’s because you have a very expensive taste, Plagg” he said before turning back his attention to Adrien. “How have you been? Are your studies abroad going well?”

“They were” Adrien replied. “But I decided it was about time I moved back home, so I’ll be finishing them off here in Paris”

Plagg let out a loud sigh of relief. “Finally, you can come with camembert so much more often”

Adrien chuckled and shook his head fondly. “Anything for you, Plagg” he said.

Plagg just hummed, but Adrien took it as a grateful hum, before he changed the subject entirely. “What are your friends up to? Music-boy, the Ladyblogger and Pigtails” he said and Adrien knew he was purposefully leaving out Chloé whom he’d always found annoying.

“They’re all working hard, I guess. Nino has been DJing at some club and Marinette has the chance to be featured in an issue of Style Queen, you know, the magazine. Alya is running a new blog that she wants to turn into an online newspaper, and she’s searching for Ladybug and Chat Noir” he ended the sentence sounding a bit sheepish.

Plagg just laughed. “That girl never gives up” he managed to get out.

“It seems like life is going well for all of them” Master Fu said, completely ignoring the Kwami. “But what is going on in your life? Have you perhaps found love?”

Adrien blushed. Master Fu always seemed to know those things.

“I… well, I’ve been thinking of asking Marinette out” he said and looked away, therefore missing the knowing look Plagg and Master Fu shared.

“Then what are you waiting for, kid?” Plagg asked, flying so that he was right in front of Adrien’s face. “Do it!”

“I will! I’m just waiting for the right timing!”

“Don’t let your plans stay plans if you want to live them” Master Fu said and Adrien sighed.

“Fine” he said and took his phone up from his pocket. “I’ll ask her right now”

Master Fu and Plagg both nodded approvingly. Adrien looked at his phone, starting to type out a message.

**[Adrien | 12:47] – What are you doing tonight?**

**[Marinette | 12:47] – Probably just binging on netflix, why?**

Adrien took a deep breath.

**[Adrien | 12:48] – I was wondering if you would like to go out with me**

**[Adrien | 12:48] – On a date I mean**

He held his breath and felt his hands go clammy as he watched the little dots indicating that she was writing a reply.

**[Marinette | 12:49] – I would love to**

He broke out into a huge grin, immediately planning mentally everything they would do. He once again missed the looks Master Fu and Plagg shared. 

“I have to go” Adrien said as he hurriedly gathered his things. “I’ll be back soon, yes with more camembert” he said before Plagg had the chance to remind him. “It’s been good to see you again! Bye Plagg”

Plagg gave him a smile before he pulled off the ring and handed it back to Master Fu.

“Have fun, you deserve this” the old man said and Adrien smiled gratefully before rushing out of the door and practically running to get back to Nino’s apartment in record time.

He would need advice on how to plan the perfect date, and Nino had taken Alya on loads so he would know.

The entire way back Adrien couldn’t stop smiling.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner date with a lot of blushing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter! I love every side of the Love Square and all the dynamics are so fun buuuut my favorite is probably Adrinette. It's just so cute and soft.

Marinette was frantically digging through her all her jewelry and sock drawer at the same time while Alya watched her with an amused smile.

“No this necklace doesn’t match the earrings and the earrings are totally the wrong color for this dress so maybe I should take the necklace anyway? Do I need stockings? No, it’s summer, of course I don’t! But maybe it’ll get cold when the sun goes down, are we even going to be out that long? What if he gets bored with me and goes home early? But what if he wants to take a walk afterwards? I’m not prepared for this! Alyaaaaa help meeeee”

Alya laughed. “Did fourteen-year-old Marinette somehow take the place of twenty-one-year-old Marinette?” she asked and walked over to Marinette, putting her hands on her friend’s shoulders and turning her towards her. “Mari, you look great and he’s not going to get bored of you” she said and then picked up a pair of simple, silver earrings. “These go perfectly with your dress and you don’t need stockings because, _yes_, it is summer and it’s hot outside”

Marinette nodded slightly and grabbed the earrings. She really didn’t know what happened to her. Adrien asked her out and suddenly it was like she was fourteen again, like Alya said. It was as if the confidence she had gained as she got older went out the window and she was a nervous wreck. But she knew Adrien and she knew that he wouldn’t have asked her out if he didn’t like her. There was no need for her to be this nervous.

After a few minutes of calming herself down with the help of Alya and putting the finishing touches to her outfit, she finally felt like she could breathe again.

“I can’t believe it took him so long to ask you” Alya said and took a sip of her tea. “He’s obviously liked you for a long time”

“He’s had a hard time since his dad… you know” Marinette looked away. For some reason she almost felt guilty for what had happened with Adrien’s father, even though she knew that she had nothing to do with it. “It’s not strange that he needed time to get over it”

“I guess” Alya responded and was about to say something more when the doorbell rang.

The girls looked at each other and Marinette could feel her heart picking up speed and her hands shaking. Alya had to practically drag her out of her seat and over to the door. She took a deep breath before opening the door and seeing Adrien.

He was dressed slightly fancier than usual and his hair was combed in a different way, similar to when he was younger and more time was put into his appearance. In his hand was a small bouquet of roses that matched to color of his flushed face.

“Hi” he squeaked out and Marinette could have laughed if she wasn’t just as incapable of speech at the moment.

“Hello” she squeaked back, almost hearing Alya roll her eyes behind her.

For a short moment they both just stared at each other before Adrien remembered the flowers in his hand and held them out to Marinette who wordlessly took them, all too aware of how red her face was right now.

“You look great” Adrien said, the red of his face matching hers perfectly.

“Thank you” Marinette replied and then they went back to quietly staring at each other.

They were lucky Alya was there.

“Ooookay, so I’ll take those” she said and grabbed the flowers. “And you two, go!” she pushed Marinette towards Adrien and made sure she grabbed his arm. 

“Let’s go then” Adrien said and tried to pull off a charming smile.

Marinette was actually very happy that she wasn’t the only one of them to be so nervous, even though she’d never really imagined that Adrien could get like this. She supposed it was kind of flattering that she was the reason for him being so flustered. It also gave her some more confidence.

“Let’s” she agreed and they started walking down the hallway.

“Be careful, kids!” Alya called from behind them and Marinette decided to glare at her while Adrien just laughed. “Don’t be out too late!” she continued, clearly thinking she was very funny.

“We won’t!” Adrien called back, also thinking she was very funny while Marinette just groaned.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it!”

Marinette shook her head at her friends antics and pushed Adrien in front of her to get him down the stairs before they could continue.

“Bye Alya!”

She heard her friend laugh and close the door as she followed Adrien. He waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, all traces of the highly amused expression he had while joking with Alya gone. Instead the nervousness seemed to have returned, along with the blush. Which, of course, made Marinette remember that the two of them were going on an actual, real date.

She giggled nervously.

“You really do look great” Adrien said as he held the door open for her.

Marinette blushed fiercely

“So do you” she tried her hardest to keep her voice sounding normal but it still ended up more high pitched than usual.

Adrien just smiled and led her to the taxi parked outside the building. The ride wasn’t very long and they would probably have been fine walking but seeing as she was wearing heels Marinette was grateful. What she really didn’t like was how they barely said a word to each other the entire ride. Going on a date with Adrien had been a dream ever since they first met when they were fourteen, now that it was finally happening, she shouldn’t ruin it by being awkward! She hadn’t had trouble talking around him for so many years, in fact he was one of the people she found it easiest to talk to. But actually being on a date was a whole new situation, and it seemed like neither of them really knew how to navigate it.

Adrien turned to her and opened his mouth and - oh _finally_ \- they were going to start a conversation when the car stopped, indicating that they were at their destination. They stepped out of the car, Adrien looking a little sheepish as he did so, and crossed the street to get to the restaurant that they had a reservation at. He had picked it so Marinette knew practically nothing except that it was not way too fancy and it had good food, so when she finally read the name of it she couldn’t help but snort.

“Really? You chose a restaurant with a pun for a name?” she asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

Adrien grinned back. “That’s how you know it’s good quality!” he said. “And the food and service are good, I suppose. But the pun is very important” he did a faked serious nod and Marinette burst out laughing. She had always loved Adrien’s humor. 

By the time they were seated at their table however, the awkwardness was back at full force. They had a rather stilted conversation about what food they wanted to eat before ordering. By the time their beverages arrived they still hadn’t made much progress.

Marinette was sipping on her water trying to cool down her blush when Adrien slumped in his chair and sighed loudly.

“Why am I so nervous? I’m always comfortable around you!” he said with a groan and Marinette put down her glass.

“First dates are always weird” she tried to reason, even though she was asking herself the same thing.

“What do you even do on a first date?” there was a slight frustration in his voice even though he said it in a joking manner.

“I guess you usually try to get to know each other” Marinette was very well aware of how uncertain she sounded.

Adrien hummed and nodded, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. Then perked up, leaned forward of the table and looked at her intensely.

“So, Marinette, have you always wanted to be a fashion designer?” he asked and Marinette immediately grinned, joining the game.

“Oh, yes, ever since I was a little girl” she said pursing her lips in fake seriousness. “What about you, Adrien. Was becoming a teacher your childhood dream?”

Adrien leaned back in his chair again. “No, no. I always dreamed of becoming a dinosaur” he said, his eyes gleaming with delight while he kept up his acting.

“Mm, very interesting” Marinette said, silently wondering if it was true and finding it adorable.

“Yes, it was big passion for me. But alas, it is impossible” he placed one hand on his heart and wiped away a fake tear with the other as Marinette gasped.

“Don’t say that, nothing is impossible! You must follow your dreams!” she exclaimed rather dramatically.

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment, and then burst out laughing. They laughed for maybe a bit too long and only composed themselves when their food arrived.

From there conversation flowed easily. They just needed a bit of ridiculousness to break the dam. They talked about everything between heaven and earth, from classes to best picnic spot in Paris to if the Gorilla ever actually used words. And seeing as they were on a date and it was confirmed that they did both like each other, some flirting and compliments were peppered into the conversations. 

Marinette was over the moon. So much so that she chose to ignore the slight tickling in the back of her brain that appeared when Adrien said some things and when he made certain expressions. It was as if it was urging her to remember something. The same thing had happened at Adrien’s homecoming party when they were on the roof and looking over Paris. She knew the feeling was connected to her accident and her missing memories, it had appeared at random times throughout the years but had never really led to anything. Which is why she had started ignoring it most of the time. She couldn’t focus on it when she had such a wonderful date.

But she wasn’t the only one who seemed bothered about something. She could notice Adrien getting a faraway look or frown at times during their conversations. This wasn’t anything new, it was a common occurrence ever since the whole thing with his father went down, everyone had noticed it. It was as if some certain things reminded him of something, though they could never figure out what exactly and he would never tell them. Nino thought it had to do with his father but Marinette couldn’t help but wonder if it was related to The Girl. He had talked a little about how he felt about his father after all, but he had never said anything about the girl except that she existed. It made Marinette wonder if he was really over her, if he really was ready for this date and starting something with her or if he’d rather be with his mystery girl.

“I…” Adrien said, slight blush on his cheeks as he looked at her. “I’m so happy I asked you out tonight. I really like you, Marinette”

And his smile was so soft, his eyes so fond and his voice so sincere. All her previous thoughts were forgotten. She believed him.

“I really like you too” she answered with a fond smile of her own.

* * *

They ended up not leaving the restaurant until the sun was hanging low on the sky. They walked slowly towards Marinette’s apartment with their interlocked hands swinging between them. She had even surprised herself when she in a moment of bravery grabbed his hand, but she also figured that she had waited long enough to hold Adrien’s hand. Luckily, he didn’t object.

“So, did you really want to be a dinosaur when you little?” she asked after he finished up a rant about how some new movie adaption of a book he liked got all the characters wrong.

He chuckled a little before answering. “Yeah, I did. I think it’s because of The Land Before Time” he said.

“Oh, well that makes sense. Those leaves looked really tasty” Marinette answered with her own giggle.

“I know, right! I even had this dinosaur costume that I would wear all the time”

Marinette almost squealed, but managed to keep it down. “That is so adorable!” she said instead.

Adrien grinned. “Thank you. I was a really adorable Apatosaurus now that I think about it”

“Apatosaurus?”

“Long neck in the movie. I was really into it”

Marinette snorted at that.

“Yeah, I was really crushed when father told me that you couldn’t become another species” he said and seemed to try to stay lighthearted but as soon as he uttered the word father his smile turned bitter.

Marinette hated seeing him like that but also didn’t know what to say, so she just squeezed his hand in silent support. It seemed to snap him back and as soon as he looked at her his smile became real again.

“It was okay though, I found a new passion pretty fast” he said, all happy again.

“Oh yeah? What was it?” Marinette asked and raised her eyebrow.

“I decided that I would become a knight who saved damsels in distress. That’s why I started fencing”

The idea of a little Adrien running around in a dinosaur costume had been adorable but it couldn’t top the picture of little Adrien with a toy sword wanting to be a hero and save people that popped into her mind. Marinette supposed that Adrien must have always been cute, at any age and no matter what he did.

“Well, then I know who to call if I’m ever in a ‘damsel in distress’ situation” she teased him, although her giggling might have ruined it.

Adrien pulled his hand away from hers to do an exaggerated bow. “I’ll be your knight anytime, princess”

The tickling turned into pounding. There was something so familiar with those words, as if she had been told something like that before. This was stronger than any other time it had happened. Like there was a memory right at the tip of her brain trying to break through but not quite making it. It was a strange feeling and if it was any other situation, she might have curled into herself and tried to force it out. But right now, Adrien was in front of her being goofy and sweet and she didn’t want to think about anything other than that.

“Why thank you” she said and curtsied as a response.

They continued their walk and she did all she could to push the feeling away. She focused on Adrien’s voice as he talked and managed to almost forget about it.

It wasn’t long before they reached her building, stopping in front of it to say goodbye for the evening. At this point the sun was gone and stars had started to show up above them.

“I had a really great time tonight” he said with a slightly lopsided smile and _wow_, had he ever been more attractive?

“So, did I” Marinette replied and leaned up to softly kiss his cheek. “Thank you”

She looked into his eyes trying to ignore how his cheeks had gone red, just like she knew hers had as well. She was starting to lean back again, happy with her accomplishment of a cheek kiss, when his hand found its way to her neck and he pulled her back and leaned closer himself. He gave her every chance to pull away and break it up but, dammit, this was gonna happen.

She pressed her lips against his, trying to not seem as desperate for this as she was. He responded immediately and deepened the kiss. It was slightly sloppy but it was so _real_ and it made her entire body vibrate. The feeling of kissing Adrien was so new and exciting and _familiar_. It felt like coming home. She decided that it was her new favorite thing.

They broke apart rather quickly because it was late and they were tired and also out on the street. But Marinette knew that this would be something that would happen a lot after this. She could feel it in herself and see it in his expression.

She smiled.

“Goodnight”

And opened the door to her building and slipped in. She could just catch Adrien’s happy and lovesick grin before the door closed and she made her way to her apartment, feeling like she was walking on clouds and all thoughts of forgotten memories gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally so much blushing. So fun to write though. 
> 
> Also! I will try to get at least one chapter out every week but I started at a job last which means I'm a lot busier and really only have time to write on the weekends. I will set aside time to do it though because I'm having so much fun writing this.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette starts so remember some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh did I say I would try to update once a week?

_She watched Sabrina leave, reaching out and wanting to say something but not really knowing what. She also didn’t have time for this right now, she had a mission. _

_“Woah-ho!” suddenly and out of nowhere Chat Noir dropped down in front of her. “I thought I’d have to save you from this girl’s clawtches! Get it? Clawtches!” she was still stunned but wow, that was a terrible pun. “But I haven’t even introduced myself! I am… Chat Noir!” he knelt down and kissed her hand._

_She quickly drew away her hand, just like always even though this situation was very different. _

_“Uh, yeah... I know! You kinda save the day all the time and stuff...I'm Marinette! So... What are you doing here?” she had to hand it to herself, she was very good at acting like a nervous fan. _

_“I’m your knight for tonight’s ball, Princess” while he was talking Chat Noir started to flex. Always a show off. Of course, she just had to start making fun of him when he wasn’t watching, it was just too funny not to. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll watch over you!”_

_“That puts my mind at ease” back to acting like a fan. _

_He put his hand against the wall and leaned closer. “But I’ll need a little helping paw. You up for helping a superhero?”_

_She decided to turn around with her back towards him. “But where is Ladybug? Aren’t you a duo?” she was a little curious as to what he was going to say, but mostly she just wanted to keep making fun of him. _

_“She's busy with something tonight, so...You get to be my Ladybug”_

_That did not sound great. _

_“Me and Chat Noir? Fighting crime together? Amazing! What do I do?” but pretending to be an adoring fan excited to work with him was pretty great. At the very least, very funny. _

_“You just need to keep him away from his pen, Princess. The rest, I’ll take care of” he gave a salute and jumped away. As he did so, she giggled. This was hilarious. _

* * *

When Marinette woke up, she was confused. She had been hoping for sweet dreams full of Adrien’s kisses but instead she got… she wasn’t sure what. It wasn’t a dream, that much was obvious. Her dreams were never this coherent, they were always swirls of images that mostly confused her. This was more like a memory.

…

That made sense. It was a memory. She had remembered something. For the first time since the accident, something had come back to her. She supposed she understood that why her brain had reacted so much when Adrien talked about being a knight and calling her princess. It reminded so much of what Chat Noir had said in that memory. It all made a lot of sense now. She would have to thank Adrien for saying that later.

There were still a lot of things that confused her though. Like why she acted so familiar with Chat Noir. She couldn’t remember them really talking or being close. What if they had been? If so, she would have forgotten a whole friendship and that sounded more awful than she could believe. But Chat Noir hadn’t really acted like he knew her. They did both introduce themselves in that memory so they couldn’t have been friends before that, right? Maybe she acted like that because of Alya running the Ladyblog, and therefore Marinette knew a lot about Chat Noir? That didn’t really make any sense either but it was the only thing she could think of to explain it. If only she could remember more.

There wasn’t really any point staying in bed and thinking about it though and her stomach had started making sounds of distress. She needed breakfast. As she was getting up from her bed she reached out and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. A text was waiting for her, from Adrien.

**[Adrien | 08:07] – Good morning princess!! I hope you slept well! Last night was so great, hopefully we can do it again soon? ** **😊**

Marinette felt her heart flutter as she read it. He’d sent her a good morning text! And he wanted to go out with her again soon, which she definitely wanted too. It also seemed like the ‘Princess’ nickname from last night was sticking. It was sort of cheesy and dorky, but she had to admit she really liked it. She also felt a little guilty for not replying to him sooner but she couldn’t help she wasn’t a morning person.

**[Marinette | 09:51] – Good morning, I did thank you!**

**[Marinette | 09:51] – and yes of course!!! I had a great time too!**

She sent the two quick texts before getting dressed and going out to the kitchen. Alya was sitting by the small table they kept in there, typing away on her laptop. When Marinette entered, she immediately stopped but kept quiet. Marinette tried to ignore her piercing eyes as she started preparing her breakfast. Of course, that only made the smirk Alya wore grow and by the time she sat down to eat it was a full-on grin.

“Soooo…” Alya said.

“So?” Marinette repeated trying to stay indifferent but she already felt her cheeks heating up.

“How did it go last night?” Alya’s eyes were shining with curiosity and delight. “I heard you squeal in your room after you got home”

Marinette ducked her head to hide the big, dopey smile that appeared. Alya, of course, noticed anyway and laughed as she skootched her chair closer. She grabbed Marinette’s arm and started shaking it.

“Come on! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” she said and Marinette giggled loudly.

“Okay, okay! Give me my arm back!” she laughed and pulled her arm out of Alya’s grasp.

Alya obviously didn’t mind. She just propped her head up on her hands, looking like a child waiting for a fairy tale.

“Last night was amazing” Marinette began and Alya grinned while motioning for Marinette to continue. “He took me to this restaurant with this awful pun in the name” she giggled a little. “It was sort of awkward in the beginning but then we started talking and it was perfect” she sighed a little dreamily. “Alyaaaa, he really is the most amazing, kind, sweet, funny, gorgeous person I’ve ever met”

Alya chuckled a little. “So, 14-year-old Marinette is definitely back” she said and Marinette pouted a little, making them both laugh.

“Anyway” she gave Alya a pointed look. “Afterwards he walked me back home, and he held my hand and…” she started blushing. “We kissed”.

“You kissed?” Alya echoed loudly and Marinette nodded. “Holy crap! Girl! Finally!”

Marinette laughed and continued blushing when Alya hugged her tightly and started talking about how all her hard work finally paid off. She said something about needing to text the girls from collége and tell them that Adrinette was finally a thing. Marinette shook her head slightly at her friend’s antics, but she didn’t really mind. Alya had always been her number one wingwoman, she had the right to be excited too.

When the text was sent and all the responses read aloud, Marinette could finally get back to her breakfast. She gave a few more details about the date, but they quickly got distracted by their own things. Alya went back to what she was typing in her laptop and Marinette got caught up in her dream again. It still wildly confused her.

“Hey, Alya” she said and Alya hummed back. “Did I ever meet Chat Noir?”

The typing stopped and Alya closed the laptop. She looked at Marinette a little confused and even more concerned.

“Yeah, you did. Several times. Why do you ask?”

“I just… Don’t remember it” Marinette said. “Or I didn’t, until now”

For a few seconds the kitchen was entirely quiet, and then Alya gasped.

“Did you just remember something from before?” she asked and Marinette nodded. “Girl, that’s amazing! It’s the first time, right? This is so great, what did you remember?”

Marinette couldn’t help but smile fondly at Alya’s rection. She was always so supportive and her friendship was one of the best things in her life. She told her about the dream, excluding the things about how familiar Chat Noir felt. She didn’t feel like it was something she should talk about just yet, since she could barely understand it. When she finished Alya nodded.

“Yeah, that must have been during Evillustrator, when Nathainel was akumatized. Wait, I have the Ladyblog article here somewhere”

She opened her laptop and searched for a few seconds before pushing it over to Marinette with the article up. She read it quickly. It added up with the dream and there were even a few quotes from Marinette herself which she felt very weird reading since she couldn’t remember saying them.

“So, it really happened…” slipped out of her mouth.

_‘Chat Noir was super cool’_

She could almost hear herself saying it. It was so similar to the things she said in the dream. But then she was only pretending to be starstruck. What had she really thought about Chat Noir?

“It did” Alya said and Marinette’s head snapped up and looked at her. She smiled gently. “This is awesome, you know that, right? Maybe you’ll start remembering more things”

“Yeah, maybe” Marinette said as she looked at a photo of her at fourteen edited next to a photo of Chat Noir striking a hero pose. She hoped she would remember more. She wanted to figure it all out.

“Alright, girl. Stop hogging m laptop. I have an anniversary article to write” Alya said, effectively snapping Marinette out of her own thoughts. “If I could just figure out what to write. It’s literally just the same thing every year. They won the battle, they saved us all, they are heroes, bla bla bla”

Marinette giggled. “Just write something else then” she said.

“That’s what I’m trying to do! I just can’t come up with something good”.

Marinette hummed and drank from her tea. Alya went back typing at her laptop, even though she seemed to backspace more than actually write. Marinette once again thought about her dream, or well, memory. Chat Noir was a hero, but the one personal memory she now had of him wasn’t of him doing something particularly heroic. It was him being a person. A person that she apparently found dorky and funny.

“Why don’t you write about them as people instead?” she said and Alya looked up, questioning expression on her face. “I mean instead of writing about how they were heroes and saved everyone, you could write about what they were like. You did a lot of interviews with them, you probably know better than most” she said.

Alya looked thoughtful for a second, but then lit up. “That’s genius, Mari!” she said and closed her laptop before grabbing her notebook instead. “I could even interview others about them. Most of our class back them met them at least a few times” she said excitedly and started scribbling down names in the notebook. “I’ll still write about them being heroes, though” she said with a raised eyebrow and Marinette giggled in agreement.

Maybe she could help Alya with this project. Hearing other people talking about him might just solve her own Chat Noir mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry for the wait! I started a new job right around the time I started publishing this fic and I do a LOT of writing there so by the time I get home I'm usually very tired of looking at word documents. but I won't be abandoning this story, even though there might be a while between chapters. 
> 
> buuut Marinette is starting to remember! this is where things get exciting.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya interviews Luka, Rose and Juleka and Adrien is crazy about Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so it's been 7 months huh?

It was truly summer. The sun sitting high on sky, the heat making the skin sweaty and sticky. People in every direction having something cold in their hand, like an ice cream or milkshake. Adrien couldn’t wait for later in the day when it would be him holding an ice cream and sharing it with his new girlfriend. It only took their second date to make it official and Adrien couldn’t be happier about it. Being with Marinette was like an amazing dream. And he never wanted to wake up.

“Almost there now” Nino said from where he was walking beside him and Adrien smiled at the words. Almost by Marinette. “Do you think it’ll be awkward?”.

At those words though, Adrien frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“You know, dude. Being around Luka. And Marinette. At the same time.” as Nino said it, he gave him a pointed look.

With explanation, Adrien of course knew what he was talking about. Except it was such a non-issue that he almost had to laugh.

“It’s not gonna be awkward” he said, and couldn’t help the few giggle that escaped his mouth. “They were only together for a few months and it was years ago. Besides, Luka and I are friends. We wouldn’t let something like this make it awkward”

Adrien felt confident in the truth of his words. The relationship between Marinette and Luka was so long ago and so short-lived that it seemed like everyone basically forgot it happened. To be fair, he didn’t exactly know how Luka felt about the fact that ‘Adrinette’ (as Alya had dubbed it) was a thing now, but he doubted it bothered him much. They had talked a few times since the first date with Marinette and Luka hadn’t seemed anything but happy for them.

“Still, you’re dating his ex” Nino said, his eyebrow furrowed. 

Once again, all Adrien could do was laugh. They were only a few meters away from the Couffine’s houseboat now and had already been spotted by the people on it. He saw his girlfriend wave to him which he returned with a giant smile.

“By that logic” Adrien said to Nino. “Marinette and Kagami shouldn’t be able to hang out. Do you wanna tell them that?”

He didn’t want to do that, if the way his eyes widened was any indication. Adrien just grinned and boarded the boat. He immediately made a beeline for Marinette, who was sitting off to the side from the others, behind a camera.

Four chairs had been set up at the center of the deck. Juleka, Rose and Luka occupied three of them, while Alya sat in the last one across from the rest, with a camera set up next to her. Rose was in the middle of recounting some story of one of the times she had met Ladybug and Chat Noir. She was talking about how determined Ladybug had been to make sure everyone was safe, and that she had complimented Rose’s outfit. Adrien couldn’t help but smile. That sounded like Ladybug.

Next to him, Marinette put a hand on her head and groaned quietly. When he looked at her, he could see that her eyes were closed and her forehead was creased. He quickly took her hand and squeezed it. She looked up at him with slightly glassy eyes.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, to not disturb the recording.

Marinette smiled back, although it seemed a little strained. “I’m fine. I’ve just got a headache. I think I might be a bit dehydrated” she said, just as quietly, and leaned her head against Adrien’s shoulder.

He chuckled a little at that answer. “It’s important to drink a lot of water in this heat.”

“I know” Marinette groaned. “I just got so wrapped up in this project that I forgot I had to live. Alya had to force me to leave my room today. I was almost finished, too!” she said with pout. Adrien chuckled again and kissed the crown of her head. She was just so cute.

As he felt Marinette relax a little more and lean a littler heavier on him, he turned his attention back to the interview happening in front of him. Nino had placed himself right behind the camera, and seemed like he really wanted to make adjustments to how it was placed, but every time he tried to Alya subtly swatted his hand away. After a few moments of this he ended up sitting down beside Adrien instead, pouting even more than Marinette had.

“And what about Chat Noir? What was he doing during all of this?”

Adrien immediately paid more attention when he heard his alter ego’s name. No one could blame him for wanting to know what people thought of him, right? People’s opinions on Chat Noir were kind of interesting. While most people agreed that Ladybug had been a valuable and competent hero, what they thought about Chat Noir was really varied. Some people found him useless and immature, others said he was skilled and funny. They either loved him or hated him. Adrien had found a lot of arguments about it online. He probably shouldn’t read them since they usually made him either really angry or really sad, but it was hard to stop once he had started. He could only hope that his friends had good opinions of him.

“Oh! He was so wonderful!” Rose said and a huge smile appeared on Adrien’s lips. “He was playing with the kids, and joking with all of us. He just made all of us feel better, I wasn’t scared at all when he was talking to us!”

Juleka nodded at that. “Yeah. Once when I was freaking out during an akuma attack he stopped and talked to me for a minute and made me calm down” she smiled a little. “He was really awesome”

Adrien’s heart warmed at their words. When he was talking to civilians during akuma attacks, all he wanted was to make them feel a little better and a little safer. He was happy to know it had worked.

The interview was over just a few minutes later, and everyone stood up. Nino immediately made his way over to Alya and started making comments about camera angles and lighting. While the two of them bickered in the background, Juleka, Luka and Rose came over to Adrien and Marinette. Rose squealed as soon as she reached them, and grabbed Juleka’s arm. 

“You’re so cute together! Aren’t they just adorable, Jules?” 

Juleka smiled. “Yeah. It’s about time, too” 

Adrien blushed and rubbed his neck awkwardly at the attention, while Marinette didn’t seem bothered at all. She just groaned loudly and flopped against his side dramatically.

“I know, right?” she said with a slight nudge in his side. “I put so much time into getting him to notice me, I deserve to reap the benefits now.”

Adrien chuckled, having heard a few stories about Marinette’s attempts to ask him out when they were teenagers. Based of off Rose and Juleka’s expressions though, he could guess there were a lot more attempts than the ones he had been told.

“You two really are awesome together.” Luka broke up the grimacing by saying, with that ever-present, easy-going smile. “You create such a harmonious melody. I would play it, but Alya said I wasn’t allowed to have my guitar anywhere near during the interview.”

This roused a few giggled around the group. Luka’s constant guitar playing was a well-known, inside joke in their friend group at this point. Adrien could still remember him playing even in the middle of akuma attacks. Which, of course, made the snake miraculous with its lyre for a weapon perfect for him.

What was even more perfect, was that Luka wanted to play a melody representing Adrien and Marinette, which meant that he was totally okay with them together, which meant Nino was wrong.

“I guess you’ll just have to play it for us another time” Adrien said once the laughter died down.

“Absolutely” Luka smiled back.

Take that, Nino.

“That’d be awesome, Luka” Marinette said while standing up. “Right now, though, I believe I was promised ice cream” she turned to look at Adrien and pulled his hand.

He stood up after her and put an arm around her shoulders. They hadn’t been together for very long, but the way they fit together already felt so natural. It was probably because of the fact that they had known each other for so long. At this point, Adrien truly felt like it was meant to be. Especially, when she smiled at him the way she was doing right now.

“Of course, princess!” he said enthusiastically and her smile only shined brighter because of it.

They quickly said goodbye to their friends and started their walk towards André’s ice cream cart. Marinette was talking animatedly about her latest projects, mostly about the design for Audrey Bourgeois. She kept going on about how she felt like she was so close to the perfect design, but just couldn’t quite get there and how frustrating that was. All Adrien could do as he listened to her, was smile. He loved hearing her talk. He loved how passionate she got, how her eyes sparkled and how she did so much problem-solving on the spot, just by talking about it. She was so clever and creative. He just loved… _her_.

They might have only been together for a couple of weeks, but she was sure. He loved her. He probably had for a long time before he realized himself. He had just been too hung up on Ladybug when they were younger to understand that what he felt for Marinette, was love. And he really wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell everyone. If he could, he would gladly broadcast across the entire world that he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng!

But he was scared. Adrien had never been one to shy away from proclamations of love before, Ladybug could attest to that. This however, was so different from the whole Ladybug, and even Kagami thing. This was so much more real. There were no barriers between him and Marinette. No secret identities or controlling parents. It was just them. And it was wonderful. Adrien didn’t want to lose that by going all in if Marinette wasn’t ready for it. Which is why he had resolved to following her lead. He didn’t mind it. He would gladly follow her anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry for this extremely late update!! it has been a difficult year, which i'm sure you all can relate to. it took it's toll on my mental health which made it a lot harder to find inspiration and write. but I'm a lot better now and excited to get back into writing! i might be a little rusy though, so please don't judge this chapter too hard! 
> 
> this chapter was fun though, right? just adrien absolutely loving marinette. as he should.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on my miraculous ladybug tumblr: @theunluckiestchat  
kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


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